South Sudan parties agree to form interim government by November 12

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit sits with ex-vice president and former rebel leader Riek Machar before their meeting in Juba, South Sudan, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Samir Bol

JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have agreed to form a transitional government by the middle of November, the country’s information minister said on Wednesday.

The two men signed a pact a year ago to end a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced a third of the population and wrecked the economy. Machar made a rare visit to Juba this week to meet Kiir.

The roll-out of last year’s accord, which called for a unity government, has been delayed because the government says it does not have enough money to fund disarmament and the integration of all the armed factions.